Shabby Chic Hooks Up With Guildmaster and Miles Talbott

Posted on January 21, 2010 by HFN Staff

NEW YORK-Shabby Chic, the iconic brand known for its blend of English elegance and California casual, is returning to the wholesale home furnishings world with new programs with Guildmaster and Miles Talbott that will debut to the trade this April at the High Point Market.

The creation of designer Rachel Ashwell, Shabby Chic has been through several incarnations as both a supplier and a retailer in a number of different distribution channels. The brand was purchased last September by brand management company Brand Sense Partners, which has been rebuilding it following an unsuccessful and since-aborted attempt to rapidly expand its retail operation under a prior ownership.

It has since reopened stores under the Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture name in Santa Monica, Calif., in New York's Soho neighborhood and in Notting Hill in London.

The new products will represent the classic Shabby Chic look in a number of different product categories. Guildmaster will be offering case goods, portable lighting and home decor products--categories the company currently is a player in. Guildmaster will be at the Las Vegas Market in February discussing the new program.

Miles Talbott will do upholstered furniture including signature pieces and prints as well as new introductions.

Shabby Chic said it is in discussions to license its name into additional categories, including rugs, outdoor furniture and lighting fixtures.

"It's really lovely for me," said Ashwell, "to collaborate with partners who have a true understanding of the nuances and subtle details needed to create authentic Shabby Chic product."